Mathew Bowyer is a California illegal bookmaker whose gambling operation became internationally notorious through the Shohei Ohtani–Ippei Mizuhara betting scandal. Bowyer pleaded guilty to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering and filing a false tax return and was sentenced in 2025 to 12 months and one day in federal prison. His activities also triggered … Read more
Actor and filmmaker James Franco faced a major #MeToo scandal beginning in January 2018 when five women told the Los Angeles Times that he had engaged in behavior they considered inappropriate or sexually exploitative. Four of the women had been his acting students and another described Franco as a mentor. The allegations included claims that … Read more
Kansas high school physics teacher Lux Claridge became the center of a free-speech controversy after police physically carried them out of an Emporia City Commission meeting and arrested them following applause for opponents of a proposed 1,000-acre data center. City officials had warned the audience not to clap, snap their fingers or make disruptive comments. … Read more
Elon Musk faced allegations that he violated Wisconsin’s election-bribery law through million-dollar payment offers connected to the state’s highly contested 2025 Supreme Court election. The Wisconsin Elections Commission eventually voted 5-1 that there was probable cause to believe Musk violated state law and referred the matter for possible prosecution. On August 25, 2026, however, special … Read more
Christian Styles, the adult performer and online creator whose real name was Zachary Christian Jaghab, died in Michigan at age 29 in August 2026. His family confirmed his death through an obituary, while the Wayne County Medical Examiner separately confirmed it to news outlets. Police have opened a death investigation and an autopsy is being … Read more
Misty Gomez, 32, of Dinuba, California, and her husband Antonio Garcia, 40, of Tulare, have been charged in connection with the killing of 37-year-old Clovis educator Geoffrey “Geoff” Bernardi. Police say Bernardi was Gomez’s boyfriend even though Gomez was married to Garcia. After an investigation lasting approximately eight months, U.S. Marshals arrested Gomez and Garcia … Read more
Elon Musk’s xAI, now part of SpaceXAI, has faced accusations of environmental racism over pollution generated by natural-gas turbines used to power its massive artificial-intelligence data centers in the Memphis, Tennessee, region. The controversy began with xAI’s Colossus supercomputer in predominantly Black South Memphis and expanded in 2026 when the company installed dozens of temporary … Read more
“Shrekking” is a controversial dating term describing the practice of deliberately dating someone a person considers less attractive or otherwise “below their standards” because they assume that partner will be more appreciative, loyal or less likely to hurt them. The term, inspired by the animated character Shrek, went viral on TikTok beginning in August 2025 … Read more
Colombian influencer Yeferson Cossio agreed not to fly with Avianca for one year after a chemical odor device known as a “stink bomb” activated aboard a March 2026 flight from Bogotá to Madrid. Avianca said the incident violated Colombian aviation rules and affected the safety, order, comfort and sanitation of the flight. Cossio disputed descriptions … Read more
Alex Justin Miller is a 26-year-old Ohio man arrested by the FBI after federal authorities accused him of sending a graphic death threat to U.S. Rep. Randy Fine of Florida and calling for the death of President Donald Trump. Prosecutors in the Middle District of Florida charged Miller with interstate transmission of a threat to … Read more